Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Publishing)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an ongoing comic book series published by IDW Publishing. Since its inception in August 2011, it has been the first new comic version of the turtles to debut after the sale of the franchise to Nickelodeon in October 2009. The initial creative team consisted of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman (who collaborated on the plot and the page layouts), Tom Waltz (who scripted the series) and artist Dan Duncan. In August 2014, the Russian publisher "Комильфо" bought the rights to publishing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Plot Hamato Yoshi is a member of the Foot Clan led by Oroku Saki during Japan's feudal period. After seeing Saki act ruthlessly, Yoshi leaves the Clan and is marked a traitor. Saki orders Yoshi's wife and four sons to be put to death. Yoshi's wife, Tang Shen, is attacked and severely wounded, and with her last breath she beseeches Yoshi to protect himself and the children. He flees with the boys and remains on the run for several years. Saki, who will later be known as Shredder, eventually finds Yoshi and his children then murders them all. Yoshi and his sons' spirits are then reborn, reincarnated as a gray rat and four green turtles in a research laboratory called Stock Gen", owned by Baxter Stockman, a scientist who has secretly allied himself with Krang. Members of the Foot Clan break into the facility to steal an alien mutagen. The animals are taken by mistake, and when they and the stolen mutagen get lost in the sewer, they are covered with the spilled mutagen and transformed into enlightened, humanoid beings. Yoshi, now called Splinter, remembers his past life and begins to train the turtles in the art of ninjutsu. An assistant at Stockgen, April O'Neil, names the turtles after Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. Unfortunately, the seemingly trivial event which led to the creation of the Turtles and Splinter is part of an escalating conflict between several powers trying to take control of the Earth: *The Foot Clan, with their leader The Shredder, who has survived into the new age due to the machinations of the shape-shifting witch Kitsune; *the Utrom warlord Krang, who plans to terraform Earth into a new home for the last survivors of his race; *and a mysterious Pantheon of immortal creatures seeking to subvert humanity to their will, as they once did in bygone times. Finding new allies as they go, the Turtles are forced to strive against enemies and save the world from total destruction as this many-fold conflict begins to spin out of control. Characters The series slightly re-imagines the origins of the Turtles, as well as other characters such as April O'Neil, Splinter,The Shredder, and Casey Jones. Notably, the series, like the original Mirage version, initially gives all four Turtles red eye masks until issue #5, where Splinter gives Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo their well-known blue, purple and orange masks, respectively. The series features characters and plot devices from all over the to-date TMNT franchise, including: *Tang Shen, Karai, the Utroms, the Triceratons, the Rat King, Professor Honeycutt, Leatherhead, Renet, Savanti Romero and the Pantheon from the Mirage Comics; *Krang, the Stone Soldiers, Slash, Bebop and Rocksteady, the Technodrome, Dark Water and the Neutrinos from the 1987 cartoon series; *the Mighty Mutanimals, Null and Wyrm from the Archie Comics series; *Ch'rell (alias the Utrom Shredder), Hun, Angel, Agent Bishop, Darius Dun, the Street Phantoms and the Battle Nexus Tournament from the 2003 cartoon series; *Pigeon Pete from the contemporary 2012 CGI series. It has also introduced brand-new characters, such as: *'Old Hob', a mutated alley cat and former enemy of Master Splinter; now founder and leader of the Mutanimals gang. Stemming from his bitter personal experience with humans, Hob intends to prepare for what he perceives an inevitable war between mutants and humans. *'Alopex', a mutant polar fox who begins her new life as an assassin of the Foot Clan, but later becomes a friend of the Turtles. Lately, she falls victim to the magic of Kitsune, making her a problem for both enemy and ally. *'Harold Lillja', a middle-aged and highly paranoid, but extremely gifted inventor who befriends the Turtle family through Donatello. *'Kitsune', a shape-shifting immortal witch, sister of the Rat King and member of the Pantheon, who has helped the Shredder through the ages. *'Koya and Bludgeon', two loyal mutated henchmen of the Foot Clan: Shredder's pet reconnaissance falcon and a hammerhead shark. *'Lindsey Baker', a former aspiring biochemist researcher at Stock Gen, later recruited by Old Hob to create his mutant army. She is also the first TMNT character in an official storyline to be outed as a lesbian. *'Woody Dirkins', a young pizzeria employee and one of the first friends of the Turtles. *'Herman', a mutated hermit crab and member of Hob's Mutanimals gang with a soldier's personality and bearing who acts as the Mutanimals' "tank". *'Sally Pride', a mutated lioness and member of Hob's Mutanimals gang. *'Kara Lewis', a young New York police officer and a friend of Michelangelo and Casey Jones. Because of her personal experiences with mutants, she is made an NYPD liaison to Agent Bishop, but she strongly disapproves of his fanatically hostile attitudes towards all mutants. *'Aka': Sister of Kitsune and the Rat King and member of the Pantheon; she's amicably neutral in human affairs. *'Jennika', a young Foot Assassin. Initially loyal only to the clan than its leader, she now pledges her service to the Foot's new leader, Splinter and his sons. *'Libby Meitner', an inventor and Harold's former wife and partner, who betrayed him for her own profit and has become the chief engineer for Darius Dun and his Street Phantoms. *'Pepperoni', a baby protoceratops befriended by Raphael. Originally from the Cretaceous period, she met the Turtles during a couple of time-travelling adventures with Renet and accompanied them back to the present day, where she stays as a pet. *'Maureen Lin', a young New York Police Detective who befriends Michelangelo while looking for her missing brother-in-law, who is revealed to have been killed by Wyrm. *'Toad Baron', A hedonistic member of the Pantheon. Comics Main series The ongoing comic main started in August 2011 and has released 68 issues as of March 2017. ''Micro-series'' As per TMNT tradition, four one-shots (officially a mini-series) were released focusing on each turtle, with issue #4 tying in to #9 of the main series. Due to the heavy popularity of the series, IDW announced another 4 issues, focusing on Master Splinter, Casey Jones, April O'Neil and the Fugitoid. Associate Editor, Bobby Curnow, says that if popularity increases, the Micro-Series will become the IDW equivalent of Mirage's Tales of the TMNT. In April 2013, a new series of eight one-shots was started, under the title Villains Micro-series. The first four issues focus on Krang, Baxter Stockman, Old Hob and Alopex. Other issues focused on Karai, Hun, Bebop & Rocksteady and Shredder. ''Infestation 2'' The Turtles were included in the IDW crossover event Infestation 2. They appeared in one panel in the first issue of the main series. Raphael also appeared on the covers for both issues of the main series; as does Donatello on a variant cover of #1. The Turtles were also given their own two-part miniseries. A series of strange occurrences leads the Turtles into long forgotten tunnels, where they are forced to confront the Lovecraftian creature Shub-Niggaruth and its cult of warped monstrosities. ''TMNT Annual 2012'' A 48-page black-and-white annual issue was released in October 2012.[http://www.comics.org/issue/1029207/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2012] at the Grand Comics Database. Its plot focuses on the loss of a valuable peace offering to the Foot Clan from the Savate Ninja syndicate, which inadvertently proves the catalyst of a vicious gang war that threatens New York City. ''Secret History of the Foot Clan'' A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles four-part mini-series, titled Secret History of the Foot Clan, was published from January through March 2013. The series tells the story about the original founder of the Foot. ''Utrom Empire'' A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles three-part mini-series, titled Utrom Empire, was started in January 2014. The series focusses on Krang, Professor Honeycutt and Baxter Stockman, as their struggles against each other put the last of the Utrom race into dire peril, as well as including a story about the last days of the titular Utrom empire. ''The X-Files: Conspiracy'' A one-shot, out of continuity issue was published in February 2014 as part of the The X-Files: Conspiracy mini-series crossover event. Guest characters include the Lone Gunmen and the vampire characters from the X-Files episode "Bad Blood". ''TMNT Annual 2014'' This annual edition features apprentice time mistress Renet and the Battle Nexus Tournament from the Mirage Comics volume 4/TMNT 2K3. Originally slated for April 2014, the release was rescheduled to August due to production difficulties. The Turtles are taken from their home by a dimension-hopping Renet and forced to participate in an interdimensional gladiator contest which by the whim of their initiator, Councilman Nieli, has no winners; but the Turtles, the stubborn Renet and some irritated gladiators intend to change this unbearable condition for the better. ''TMNT 30th Anniversary Special'' A special edition commemorating the brand's 30th anniversary. Featuring five short stories, one of them entitled "Ready Set Go!" was previously released in Hero Comics 2012; the other four short stories are each set in one of the comic continuities - Mirage, Image, Archie Comics, and IDW - which arose with the franchise. ''Turtles in Time'' A four-issue mini-series running from June to September 2014. It was a continuation from the story in TMNT Annual 2014. Some intertemporary after-effect from their trip with Renet displaces the Turtles successively into the age of the dinosaurs, medieval Japan, the age of pirates, and even the future; and in each time period they are forced to make decisions which have shaped - and still might shape - their own fate and that of the world around them. ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters'' A four-issue mini-series crossover with IDW's Ghostbusters comic series, celebrating the 30th anniversaries of both franchises. It began publication in October 2014. The story deals with the Turtles and their friends testing a teleportation device whose plans were provided by Professor Honeycutt. Due to a slight mishap during activation, they end up in the Ghostbusters' reality, along with an immortal, hostile creature once known as Chiyou, who seeks domination over mankind. ''TMNT: Mutanimals'' Another four-issue mini-series dealing with the latest incarnation of the Mighty Mutanimals, published from February to June 2015. Lindsey Baker, Old Hob's human ally and scientific creator of his mutant army, is kidnapped by the security forces of the Null Group, a genetics firm headed by the fiendish Madame Null, who wishes to conquer the world's economy by creating hybrid mutants. As the Mutanimals fight to get Lindsey back, the team - and especially Hob - are forced to seriously reconsider their conduct as mutant liberators. ''TMNT: Free Comic Book Day 2015'' A story was published as part of the May 2015 Free Comic Book Day. It was a prelude to the Vengeance story arc of the main series (#45–50).TMNT: Free Comic Book Day 2015 ''Casey & April'' A four-issue mini-series that started publishing in June 2015. Its plot deals with April O'Neil and Casey Jones investigating the contents of a scroll found in the Foot Clan's archives which points out the resting place of a book dealing with a group of immortal entities called the Pantheon, which includes the Rat King and Kitsune in its ranks. During this journey, Casey and April are also forced to do some soul-searching and exploring of their budding relationship. ''Batman/TMNT A six-issue miniseries announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2015, beginning in December 2015. It is the second intercompany crossover between IDW and DC Comics, after ''Star Trek/Green Lantern. The story, out of continuity, deals with the Turtles and their master Splinter, along with Shredder and a good number of his Foot Ninjas, having been interdimensionally displaced by their common enemy Krang; an eviction which landed them in Gotham City in the DC Universe. While Shredder sets his sight on conquering this new world in addition to his own, the mutants are desperately seeking a way back home as the mutagen which created them is slowly starting to break down; and Batman is the only person capable of helping them. ''Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything! A weekly five-part miniseries published in June 2016. In this story, Bebop and Rocksteady get their hands on Renet's time cepter and, as the simpletons they are, wreak havoc to all creation as they use the artifact to hop all over time and space, forcing the Turtles and Renet to fix the damage before it becomes irreversible. ''TMNT Universe A spin-off series similar to Mirage's Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which started publication on August 31, 2016. It serves as a narrative expansion to the main series with the introduction of crucial sideplots and additional characters. 4 issues have been released as of October 2016. Collected editions The IDW series has been compiled into the following deluxe hardcover collections which feature micros spliced into story in reading order. The various series have been collected in the following trade paperbacks: Other TMNT publications by IDW Graphic novels Collections of the original Mirage comics series: *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1'', collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #1–7, and Raphael #1 (December 2011) *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 2'', collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #8-11, along with the Michaelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatello "micro-series" one-shots (April 2012) *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 3'', collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #12, 14, 15, 17, and 19–21 (August 2012) *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 4'', collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #48-55 (April 2013) *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 5'', collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #56-62 (October 2013) *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 1'', collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issue #13 along with a collection of stories from the Shell Shock TP; "Bottoming Out", "New York Ninja", "Word Warriors", "49th Street Stompers", "Junkman", "O Deed", "Road Trip", "Don't Judge a Book", "A Splinter in the Eye of God?", "Night Life", and "Meanwhile... 1,000,000 B.C.". (June 2012) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 2, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #16, 22, and 23 (August 2012) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 3, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #27-29 (December 2012) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 4, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #32, 33, and 37 along with "The Ring" (from Turtle Soup Vol. 2 Book One) (March 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 5, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #34 and #38-40 (May 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 6, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #42-44 (August 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 7, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #45-47 and six short stories from Shell Shock: "Ghouls Night Out," "Crazy Man," "The Survival Game," "The Howl," "Technofear," and "It's A Gas" (November 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 8, collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 2 issues #1-5 (May 2014) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 9, collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 2 issues #6-9 (December 2014) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics Vol. 10, collecting Mirage Studios' Vol. 2 issues #10-13 (April 2015) * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1, Tales of the TMNT Volume I'' #1-4 + Extras (December 2012)'' * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 2, Tales of the TMNT Volume I'' #5-7 (April 2013)'' * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 3, Tales of the TMNT Volume II'' #1-4 (October 2013)'' * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 4, Tales of the TMNT Volume II'' #5-8 (May 2014)'' * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 5, Tales of the TMNT Volume II'' #9-12 (August 2014)'' * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 6, Tales of the TMNT Volume II'' #13-16 (November 2014)'' * Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 7, Tales of the TMNT Volume II'' #17-20 (August 2015)'' * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works, Volume 1, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #1–7, and Raphael #1 (May 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works, Volume 2, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #8-11, Michaelangelo #1, Donatello #1, and Leonardo #1 (October 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works, Volume 3, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #12, #14-15, #17, and #19-21 (September 2014) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works, Volume 4, collecting colorized versions of Mirage Studios' Vol. 1 issues #48-#55 (December 2015) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Legends: Soul's Winter (December 2014) Collections of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures originally published by Archie Comics: * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 1 (August 2012) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 2 (October 2012) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 3 (January 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 4 (March 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 5 (July 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 6 (December 2013) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 7 (May 2014) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 8 (September 2014) * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 9 (January 2015) Comics * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 100-Page Spectacular (April 2012) - Collects the 3-issue miniseries that preceded the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures ongoing. * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics (begun May 2012) - This series reprints issues 1 - 11 of TMNT Vol. 1 by Eastman/Laird (excepting issue #8 due to guest character copyright) and the four turtle Micros in full color with coloring by Tom Smith. Color reprints of issues 1 - 15 of TMNT Vol.3 have been printed as of October 2016. References External links * Category:2011 comics debuts Category:IDW Publishing titles IDW Category:Reincarnation in fiction Category:Reboot comics